McLaren, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – rules, value, accidents and relationships

A small group of McLaren senior figures discuss with the drivers how they approach the race. They review what happened after each grand prix, and apply the lessons to the next race.

This happens in formal meetings and informal and ad hoc conversations.

They continue to build on this process over and over again.

This is all good in theory, but it will only be sustainable in practice if everyone sticks to the principles when problems arise, as they inevitably do during the Formula 1 season.

In 2025, there were a number of races where equality and harmony were tested – particularly Hungary, Italy, Singapore and Austin.

In Hungary, Norris was allowed to switch to a one-stop strategy after a poor start left him in fifth place, and he ended up overtaking Piastri, whose two stops from second place early saw him spend the final laps trying and failing to pass Norris for the win.

In Italy, the decision was made to reverse the normal choreography after they spent the race in the Norris-Piastri order behind Verstappen, followed by a slow stop for Norris, and Piastri was asked to return the second place he had inherited.

In Singapore, Norris beat Piastri for third place in the first series of turns, hitting wheels in the process, leading to the Australian saying over the radio: “Are we cool with Lando running me out of the way?”

In Austin, Piastri’s attempt to cut corners on Norris in the first corner of the sprint ended in a collision that sent them both out.

Externally, these positions led to either accusations that Norris was being favoured, or that McLaren was interfering too much, or both.

Internally, they were dealt with calmly, behind closed doors, and the clear result was that everyone came away satisfied that the problem had been resolved in the best possible way.

McLaren insiders told BBC Sport that driver meetings are actually done in the way they are presented externally – where issues are discussed openly, constructively and calmly, and a solution is reached that everyone can calmly move forward with, even if they have issues with what happened at the time.

If there was any deviation from this in the minds of the drivers secretly, they certainly gave no indication of it publicly.

Piastri rejected any suggestions that the team was unfair, saying he was “very happy that there was no favoritism or bias.”

“We still always have the right to question it,” says Norris. “We would never walk around – because I think it’s just the mind of a racing driver – and we would be happy to accept what the team wants to do or what they think is right.”

“I understand that many people have different opinions and believe that other things may be true. But I still stand by the fact that Andrea, Oscar and all of us together are confident that our approach is better than others.”

Brown says any idea the team is siding with Norris is “nonsense.”

When they let Norris move to one stop in Hungary, “Andrea and I felt like this wasn’t going to work,” he explains. But it was a free kick, and Lando drove brilliantly.”

He said Monza was “just like what happened in Hungary the year before”, when Norris allowed Piastri to win after a similar pit-lane arrangement.

“If the lead car is willing to sacrifice its first-call rights to help its teammate, who is actually its number one contender in the championship, that’s great teamwork,” says Brawn.

He added: “So I understand what it looks like on the outside, but it’s not what’s happening on the inside, and we’re trying hard to give them equal opportunities and let them compete hard. I wish everyone would realize more of that.”

“But I’ve definitely come to the conclusion that there are a lot of fans with a lot of points of view, and we have to be comfortable with how we go about racing within McLaren, and that’s what’s most important to us.”